Moving forward
by reronettie
Summary: Franco Baldwin tries to decide how to move forward after waking up from the memory correcting procedure. A Friz Fanfiction


Franco Baldwin sat in the cold, empty bed of his hotel room. The longing he felt for his wife was making him hate himself. Going back home wasn't an option right now. He'd slept with Kim Nero and Elizabeth witnessed the remnants of their affair. He was not in control of his body, and yet, he remembered the experience. Drew enjoyed the act and that thought sickened him. When Franco married Elizabeth, he had promised to be faithful to her, and he broke the promise before their first anniversary. Of all the ways he could screw up their relationship, he never guessed having sex with another woman would be an option. Franco was a lot of things, but he didn't cheat.

The procedure brought him back, but coming back had broken him. Elizabeth didn't understand why he needed to be alone, but he did. Tomorrow he was going to go home and face whatever came next. Tonight, he couldn't bear the thought of Elizabeth forgiving him. He believed she already had, and once again he couldn't fathom why she loved him so much.

Suddenly, he had a desire to doodle in his sketch pad. He hadn't drawn anything since Drew took over his memories. After a few minutes, the image turned into Elizabeth's face. Sketching her was like a reflex these days. Her face was more familiar to him than his own. He glanced at the ground again, how could Drew destroy the best thing that ever happened to him so easily. Sketching wasn't helping, so he threw the pad across the room.

As he ran his hands through his hair, he felt a sick pit in his stomach. The wedding ring he wore as a symbol of his commitment to Elizabeth was missing. He had only just gotten used to it catching when he played with his hair; now the symbol of his marriage was gone. What if Drew disposed of it? Franco tried to remember where the ring was, but he couldn't. Some things were clear as day, while others were foggy. It was difficult to only remember pieces of what had happened.

The time was only 9 pm, but he was about to go to sleep anyway. He was too depressed to stay awake. There was a knock on the door. A part of him hoped Elizabeth decided to stop by, though he had asked her not to come. When he opened the door, he found his father. Scott Baldwin had an almost angry look on his face. Franco was a little startled by the unexpected visitor. As he stepped out of the way and let Scotty into the room, he said nothing. He wondered if Elizabeth had sent him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Scott finally spoke.

"Well, that's some greeting," Franco exclaimed. "I was expecting a 'glad to see you back in your right mind' or something."

"You are not in your right mind, so why would I say that?" The near yelling tone of his voice told Franco that Scott was angry. He stared down at the floor again, saying nothing. "At home, you have a smoking hot wife who loves you way more than you ever deserve, and three boys who worship the ground you walk on. So why are you spending the night in a hotel?"

"I take it Elizabeth sent you?" Franco was wracked with emotion.

"No. I stopped by to check on you earlier, and you weren't at home. Elizabeth told me everything." Scott said, "So, I came here to talk some sense into you. Come on, son, what the hell are you doing?"

"The sanctity of my marriage was violated. I slept with another woman, dad. How do I even face them after what I did to Elizabeth and my family? They deserve better than me." Franco began to sob. As he did so, Scott walked to him and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Did you, as Franco Baldwin, willingly choose to sleep with Kim?" Scott asked.

"No, but..." He began to argue.

"A woman who is apparently mentally ill, took advantage of you when your memory was gone. Your mind was not yours at that time. Elizabeth sees that. Your wife continued to fight for you because she understands. Kim Nero can be blamed for this, but not you, Franco." The last words got softer. It was the most affectionate Scott had ever been with him. "Kim took advantage of you."

"When you say it, I believe you, but living with it is going to be harder." His gaze was locked on the floor.

"It's simple Franco. Do you love Elizabeth enough to fight for your marriage? Or do you want to stay here in this hotel and push her further away? She has taken a lot from you and because of you; eventually, she won't take your shit anymore." His father stared at him.

"I love Elizabeth more than anything in this world. More than my own life. I would sacrifice myself to a painful death 1000 times a day to stop one single second of her suffering, and the same goes for the boys. Those are my sons. I love all of them, even if Cameron hates me. But this time I truly wonder if they would all be happier without me." Franco agonized.

"That is complete nonsense. Those boys, Cameron included, love you. They consider you to be their father." Scott argued. "Do you want to be with them?"

"Of course, I do...but."

"No buts, get the hell out of here and go home," Scott ordered. Something snapped inside of Franco. His father was right. Self-pity was the old Franco. All of this was isolating himself because it was easier. Easy wasn't what he wanted anymore. He wanted Elizabeth and their children. The promises he had made to Elizabeth on the day they married meant something, and he wanted to honor them.

"Why do you always have to be right?" He lamented.

"Because I'm your father." Franco wiped his eyes and smiled.

"I don't say it all that much, but I love you, dad." There was a long pause before he added. "Now get out, so I can pack up and check out of here." Scott grinned as he stepped out of the door.

"I love you too, son. Now go get your wife back." At these words, he closed the door behind him.

-/-

It was almost ten by the time Franco reached their house. The outdoor light was on and there was a purple bucket in the front yard. It looked like a family lived here. He had to remind himself that they were his family. Stepping up to the door, Franco debated whether to knock or use his key. He didn't want to wake the boys. After several minutes, he decided that the keys were a better plan.

He opened the door, hoping not to scare Elizabeth. He glanced around the room as he entered. It appeared the same as he left it. Some of his more colorful paintings filled the walls, and a picture of the family smiling at their wedding reception graced the mantel.

"What the hell?" There was a scream from upstairs. Elizabeth, looking frightened, held one of the boys' toy lightsabers in her hand. Franco could not help laughing; she had taken self-defense classes. She could do better than a toy weapon. When she looked at him, she dropped the fake blade. "What are you doing here?"

"Last I checked I live here." He said in his usual sarcastic way. "I do still live here, right?"

"Of course, you do, I just wasn't sure you wanted that anymore. You're the one that said you needed space." She took a cautious step toward him. Barely holding himself together, he smiled at her.

"What I needed was my father to remind me how stupid I was being. I love you, more than anything, Elizabeth, and I want to be with you." He spoke the words with unexpected tears. She leaped at him, her arms going around him before he finished speaking. He pulled her mouth to his, kissing her in that way that left him breathless. As she pushed away for a second, he wiped a tear from her cheek. There was little hesitation between them as she found his lips again.

As he placed his hand on the side of her face, he spotted an unexpected gold chain around her neck. Elizabeth didn't usually wear any jewelry except for her wedding ring. He grabbed it out of her shirt, whimpering as he saw the familiar thick men's wedding band hanging there.

"I was afraid I'd lost this." He reached around undoing the clasp with his fingers. She gave him a devilish look as it slid off.

"I wanted to keep this safe for you. Drew gave it back to me; he didn't remember marrying me and thought it was wrong to keep the ring." She tried not to cry at the memory.

"I'm so sorry, I would never say those things." The pleading look he gave her made her give him a half-frown. He hated Drew yet again.

"I know it wasn't you." She took his hand, placing it against her heart.

"I don't know how you always believe in me, even when I don't have faith in myself." He spoke softly into her ear. He started to slip the ring back on, and she stopped him.

"Before you put this back," She stated. "I need to do something."

"OK." He said a little hesitation in his voice. To his surprise, she slid down to one knee in front of him. He stared at her in confusion and happiness. Only his Elizabeth would do this.

"I love you more than I have ever loved anyone, Franco Baldwin. You are my husband and the true love of my life. I never wanted to fight for anyone the way I do you. This family never stopped fighting, even when we thought you might be gone forever. I know that you love us too, but I need you to believe in yourself again. I need you to fight for us as hard as we fight for you. It may not always be easy, but I know we are strong enough together. I only want you to put this ring back on if you feel like we can do this. I need to know that you are willing to believe in yourself. So, Franco Baldwin, will you put back on this wedding ring?"

"Yes." He stared down at her as she slipped the ring back onto his finger. At that moment, he meant it. He was willing to do whatever was necessary to keep his wife and family.

For the next few moments, the two of them peered into each other's eyes saying nothing. Want and need were heavy in the air. They both understood what came next. When he could no longer stand it, Franco grabbed Liz around the waist, pulling her against his body and kissing her with a complete need he had only ever experienced with her. He pressed her against the wall and her legs wrapped around his body, his strong form holding her up. She found the buttons of his gray shirt and began to unfasten them.

"Boys." He whined as she bit his ear, making him instantly hard. She remembered how to turn him on.

"At my grandmothers." She said. "I needed to be alone after you wouldn't come home. I didn't want Jake and Aiden to see me like that. Cameron didn't want to leave me, but I convinced him to go."

"So, it's just us?" He said as she kissed up and down his neck.

"This house is empty, for once." She laughed, then gave his ear a second love nip.

"You are driving me crazy." He whispered back. She threw his shirt behind her.

"Make love to me Franco." He couldn't say no to her. He had tried in the past, but it was impossible. She was asking him to take her right here, but instead, he kissed her passionately as he carried her, legs still wrapped around him up the stairs. Franco set her gently onto the bed they had shared so many times before, desperate to have her again. He never got enough Elizabeth. He'd had sex with women he thought he loved before her, but it was not the same.

Somewhere from the kitchen to the bedroom, she lost her shirt as well, and her full perfect breasts were covered only by her bra. It was a simple cotton white one, but Franco thought Elizabeth was beautiful no matter what. He reached down and undid the zipper on her jeans. She stood and helped him to pull them off. Their lips met again as they fell back onto the bed. Long needy kisses filled the next moment. Franco flipped them so that he was on top of her and began kissing down her body, he knew his wife better than any woman he had ever been with and right now he wanted to please her. He kissed her clavicle, and then the valley between her breasts. Then, placing one hand on each, he moved lower down her body. She moaned loudly as he pinched her right nipple through the bra.

As he sunk further, he dipped his tongue into her belly button, a subtle tease of what was to come. She giggled. He loved the rare times when they didn't have to make love as silently as possible, spiriting away a few quick moments when the kids were sleeping. He enjoyed the noises she made when he pleasured her. Today she wasn't holding anything back.

He found the top of her underwear and kissed her left hip before pulling them down her legs. She kicked them off with unexpected vigor. He wanted to drive her mad with desire, the way only he could. He looked up at her. Her dark hair was splayed out around her and she looked like an angel, he always wanted to paint her like this, but he could never capture just how beautiful she was. He bent down again, kissing closer to where she wanted him. She had confessed to him once that she never really like men going down on her until he did it. Her body was begging him for more. Finally, after a long time, He licked up and down her slit.

"Franco," she screamed out his name as her body bucked up into his mouth. He grinned as his tongue dipped inside her again. She tasted as amazing as he remembered. He loved watching her while he did this. He continued his ministrations, sliding one finger in her as he worked her with his mouth. She moaned in pleasure; her cries were getting less and less coherent. She screamed again as her hands began to rake through his hair. He knew that she was close. He slid a second finger inside marveling how someone who had given birth to three children was still so tight.

The pants he was wearing were still on, and the way his fingers went in and out of her was making them more uncomfortable. He had to send Elizabeth over the edge though before he would stop. Franco needed to watch her come apart before he got what he desired. He wanted her to experience nothing but pleasure, though his body yearned to be inside of her.

"I'm so close babe.' She whimpered. He moved his fingers faster, nipping softly at her bundle of nerves. She mewed in pure ecstasy as her walls fluttered around his hand.

"You are so beautiful," Franco said as he made his way back up her body. Kissing her forehead as she continued to come down from her orgasm. He laid with her for only a moment before her hands moved to the zipper of his jeans. He let her undo it before standing to take them off. The boxer briefs, which were his preference, could no longer contain him, and Elizabeth licked her lips as she looked up and down his body.

"You're beautiful too." She responded as she pulled him back to her, hooking her thumbs into the edge of his underwear and pulling it down. His vision blurred for a second as her hand began stroking him. He reached around and undid her bra, revealing her perfect naked breasts to him. She was the most magnificent creature in the whole world, and he couldn't believe even after all this, she would give herself to him so willingly. He kissed her fiercely as she continued to rub him. She knew how to please him as well. They could get lost together in moments like this. Elizabeth shifted thinking of returning his earlier favor, but he stopped her. He loved her mouth on him, but right now, he needed to remember what it was like to be one with her. She seemed to understand. She moved again so that she was on top of him.

"I need you." His voice sounded almost like a growl. She smiled and straddled him teasingly running her slick slit over him several times before reaching between them and lining him up with her entrance.

"I love you." She spoke into his ear as she sank onto him. He nearly came just from the force of it. There was nothing in the universe as amazing as making love to this woman. With them, it was never just sex, even a quick clandestine moment in the art therapy room, or a silent lovemaking session while the boys did their homework. This act was always about their connection to one another. As she moved on top of him, he awakened, matching her thrust after thrust. "I missed this so much." She cried now, but they were tears of happiness.

"Elizabeth, you gotta slow down. I'm not going to last long if you keep this up, and I want to savor every possible moment." He begged wantonly, as she sped herself more, driving him to the brink. He wouldn't go over without her.

"We have all night." She said, and he understood this would not be the last time they ever made love. It probably wouldn't be the last time they did it tonight. His wife was the most exquisite person he had ever known, and he still had her forever.

He matched her pace instead; madness and need had taken over. There was nothing in the universe but him and Elizabeth. He was so close he couldn't hold himself back anymore. He slipped his hand between them and began rubbing the spot that made her see stars. He wanted to experience her clenching around him. It took several more seconds before he felt her body squeeze his. He uttered a cry as he emptied himself deep inside of her.

Once it was over, he held her hard against his chest. Tears streamed down his face and he looked at her with an expression of near reverence. She was crying as well, but they were tears of happiness and relief.

"I was so afraid I had lost you forever." She managed still trying to close any crevice of space between them. "I didn't know if the procedure would work, and then you were so devastated when you woke up, I was genuinely scared."

"I was afraid you would never want me again after what happened with Kim, and all the horrible things Drew said. I broke our marriage vow, and I didn't know how to ever get over that." His voice was shaking. "I want to get past all of this Elizabeth. I need to be with you and the boys it's the only thing that matters to me."

"Franco, you did nothing wrong. Kim took advantage of you when you were not yourself. It might have been your body, but you had no control. I blame Kim for that, and we can never be friends, but this is not on you." She forced him to maintain eye contact. "You have been nothing but the faithful, loyal, amazing man whom I married."

"I remember it." He looked away from her.

"You retain some memories that Drew made, but that doesn't mean you are responsible for them." She said, turning him back to face her. "I told you time, and again, nothing can change the way I feel about you, and I still believe that. You have to believe it too."

"I am trying." He said honestly.

"Does this mean you are home?" She asked her naked body still draped over his.

"Yes, I'm here, and I'm not leaving again no matter how selfish or crazy I am for doing it. I love you, and I can't stand the idea of not having you in my life."

"Sounds like we are in full agreement." She began kissing him again. They made love four more times that night, dosing in and out of sleep. They both needed to be alive again and remember just how sacred their love was.

-/-

In the morning, they were awakened by the sound of thundering footsteps in the living area. They both opened their eyes wide, remembering the trail of clothes they had left. Elizabeth quickly slid on one of Franco's button-downs while he through on a pair of his sweatpants. They ran down the stairs together Franco managing to pitch Elizabeth's shirt into the doorway of the room before Aiden, who was running up, could see. The little boy stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Franco.

"I forgot my math book." He told them. But he ran at Franco throwing his arms around him.

"Hey buddy, I missed you." Franco ruffled Aiden's hair lovingly.

"Are you going to come home now, mom said you remembered us, but that you were having a hard time," Aiden said not letting go of Franco.

"Yes, I'm home." He assured the boy. He squeezed him even tighter at this.

"Aiden we are going to be late for school." They heard Cameron scream up the stairs. Elizabeth and Franco walked the rest of the way down, and Franco put his arm around her waist.

"He has a good reason," Franco said, smiling at Cam. The boy stopped dead. He had been in the kitchen about to finish making a sandwich. "Look, Cam, I know we have a lot to talk about, but I don't want you guys to be late for school."

"I'm just glad you are home," Cameron said, to Elizabeth's surprise, he came over and wrapped his arms around his stepfather. "You are home, right?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Franco promised. Aiden reappeared with the book in his hands. Cameron threw the sandwich into his lunch box.

"Where's Jake?" Elizabeth asked.

"He had that early art club thing today, and I dropped him off before Aiden realized he didn't have his math book." He explained.

"OK well you guys need to go, or you will both be late." Elizabeth was grinning from ear to ear.

"Sure thing," Cameron said. "I love you guys." Franco felt his heart flutter as the teenage boy and Aiden walked out the door. His shirt was still on the floor of the living room, but neither boy had seemed to notice. Franco put his arms around Elizabeth's waist, pulling her close again. She turned around to face him.

"As if our lives aren't crazy enough," Elizabeth said a little sheepish. "There is something I should probably tell you."

"What now," Franco said, but his voice was all humor.

"With everything that has been happening in the last couple of weeks, I forgot to take my birth control." She admitted. "And with the activities of last night."

"We can handle a baby if we have to, with what we've been through it will be a walk in the park." He teased. He would usually be panicked, but now he believed he could manage it.

"Not worried about your evil genes?" She asked.

"If we had a baby, it would be half you, and nothing that comes from you could ever be evil." He smiled. They kissed passionately again.

"Couldn't hurt to try one more time?" She teased and they ran together up the stairs.


End file.
